Millennial mom installs a home phone to teach her kids conversational skills, and it works
Other parents are totally on board with this idea, and not just for nostalgic reasons.

In a world where most families are making their homes more automated with high tech devices, one mom has decided to go the opposite route—all in the name of teaching her kids how to actually connect with other humans.
Oregon based mom of two Brittney Mast and her husband had noticed that her kids were so used to using FaceTime, that they didn’t actually know how to hold a conversation on the phone, which made both parents feel like smartphones should probably wait until they were older.
And yet, they still wanted the kiddos to be able to contact their grandparents. Plus, having no phone for when they were at the house alone didn’t seem like a good idea. Not to mention this didn’t really address the “being able to hold a conversation” issue.
@momsoforegon/Instagram,
That’s when they had the idea to install a home phone. You know, the landlines from yesteryear. Well almost like the ones from yesteryear. Mast told Today that she did opt for an internet-enabled phone, since installing an actual landline is “annoying nowadays.”
So far, the experience with “old” technology has been a success. Rather than seeing it as a chore, Mast told Today that they saw it as a “toy,’ and thoroughly enjoyed learning the ins and outs of phone etiquette.
“They love calling Grammy all on their own 🥰” Mast wrote in an Instagram post.
@momsoforegon/Instagram,
This is an interesting sentiment. We hear so many lamentations about kids today being “addicted” to technology and abysmally uninterested in social connections, but, as with most things, infusing a bit of novelty can get kids interested in a nanosecond.
And apparently, Mast isn’t the only one to try—and find success with—incorpating "ancient technology" back into the home.
“Yes! We got one when our kids could stay home alone. My girls are 14 and still don’t have cell phones. We will get them flip phones next year when they start high school. 👏👏👏👏” one fellow parent wrote.
Another shared, “Yes!!!! We did this. I hope this becomes a trend over the next few years. Force these kids to have to have actual conversations! 3 ways calling, no texts.😂”
And the folks who haven’t tried it…well, they’re sold on the idea, for sure.
“We will be doing this too! Can not wait!!!!”
“I love this! Can’t wait till we’re in this phase.”
It’s great to have devices like Google home and Alexa, but we all seem to be feeling the toll of a completely streamlined lifestyle. At this point, devices that force us to slow down are a major luxury. And that especially goes for kids, whose developing brains truly cannot handle such constant stimulation. As we strive for a more balanced relationship with technology as a society, we can probably expect a resurgence of a few more retro items.
In fact, Mast apparently has introduced a few more throwbacks, like CD players for her kids' bedroom.They also might be getting some secondhand Gameboys. Takes you back, doesn't it?
You can find out even more about Mast’s home phone experiment on her Substack here.